c++ patch

[Torbjorn Granlund]

  > (Are there problems with ABI=64, or you just trying to limit
  > the blinding speed of sparc?)
  
  Most of the libraries are available with the 32 bits ABI by default, and I 
  am using gmp together with other libraries, so they have to use the same 
  ABI, and I did not want to recompile the others. By the way, I thought 
  having a 32 bits ABI did not prevent from using 64 bit types internally 
  and did not slow down the computations much, but I may have misunderstood 
  the way things work.
  
For SPARC, since there aren't any very useful 64-bit integer
operations, the 32-bit ABI isn't terribly much slower than the 64-bit
ABI.  We use floating-point operations anyway.

But the 64-bit ABI is currently about 50% faster anyway.

As for using 64-bit operations internally under a 32-bit ABI, that's
not usually allowed, and if allowed it is inconvenient.

  (and I know you are not a huge fan of sparc...)

Indeed.  I am more into fast and cheap computers, than expensive and
slow.  :-)

-- 
Torbjörn